Process for the production of partially dehydrated fruits especially of the genus musa



June 4, 1968 1.. J. ABALO 3,386,838

PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PARTIALLY DEHYDRATED FRUITS ESPECIALLY OFTHE GENUS MUSA Filed Nov. 2'7, 1967 INVENTOR BY semmesandsemmesATTORNEYS United States Patet Office 3,385,838 Patented June 4, 1968ABSTRAQIT OF THE DISCLOSURE Process for preserving natural fruitproducts such as bananas for edible consumption. Peeled bananas are 15slightly compressed between juice absorbent boards while exposed .to thesun, rested periodically as at night and the process continued until thepreserved product is thus naturally created, free of caramelization,tissue deterioration and the like. Mild sulphitization may precede theprocess to enhance the non mold quality of the product.

Cross-references to related applications This application is acontinuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 392,290, filedAug. 26, 1964, entitled: Process for the Production of PartiallyDehydrated Fruits Especially of the Genus Musa and Products Thereof, nowabandoned.

-Description of the prior art 30 Whereas numerous processes have beendevised for the preservation of fruits including bananas and the like,with few exceptions, none has resulted in the highest possible retentionof the natural fluids and juices of the fruit without the addition offungicides, preservatives and/ or fermentation preventatives. This isso, particularly when the fruit must be peeled before dehydrating,because the skin, as in the case of bananas, is not edible. The mostrecent developments involve substantially total desiccation of thefruit, resulting in the hardening of the product, and partial or totalloss of its natural flavor. In the very few cases Where totaldesiccation has been overcome, the process is either costly orimpracticable. Among the more advanced processes involving a usage ofthe natural sun is that of Mayne R. Coe, Patent 2,481,723, in whichpractically all rays of sunlight below 4,900 angstrom units and between6,300 to 6,700 angstrom units of the spectrum are admitted to the fruitduring the process. Additionally, Joseph Fry as early as 1869 in Patent93,075 had envisaged that the specific fruits, in order to be cured,must be kept at a process heating point which was above that producingfermentation and below that which roasts or cooks. Undoubtedly, this isthe case where fruits must 55 be peeled before dehydrating because oftheir inedible skin, and it is a fact that the skin retardsfermentation; but Fry does not say anything about any practical oreconomic method or process for yielding the desired product.

Rey Patent 2,192,273 and Harris et al. Patent 1,017,411 are examples ofprior art. By the Rey process which is a kneading process, asubstantially different effect is obtained than through the presentprocess. Rey produces a bruised fruit which enhances the precipitationof carbon hydrates and promotes fermentation, whereas the presentprocess involves a means of substituting for the inedible skin, moistureabsorbent boards, the primary function of which is not to press upon thefruit or to knead it as in Rey, but to cover and to contact it :and toextend this covering and contacting to at least a major portion of thesurfaces of the fruit. The present process yields a cured natural intactfruit including all exterior tissue, rather than a semi-dehydratedbruised fruit. This is not a roasting process as called for in theHarris patent.

Summary of the invention The present process, unlike the prior art, isdesigned to use the heat of the sun over an extended period of time,while at the same time shielding the banana product from substantiallyall direct rays of the sun. The process involves intermittently restingthe product from heat produced by the sun, all the while compressingsame. The new product is tasteful, and of a long shelf-life.

The objects of the invention are as follows:

A process for the creation of new products derived from the naturalfruit family, Musaecae, a process for the preservation thereof in edibleforms in which the fruit has been decorticated, the process having asits objective the preparation and preservation of the fruit in edibleform without further treatment, such as rehydration.

Unlike most fruits which are normally dried in the sun, the peelings ofthe species belonging to the genus M-usa are not edible. Since this isso, applying the concept of sun-drying in the natural state is renderedimpossible. Furthermore, other processes, patented or unpatented,directed to the avoiding of hardening and acidity in cured fruitresulting from sun-ripening and drying after peeling have proved not tobe entirely practical or economical, since none have been used in anindustrial scale. For the first time, nevertheless, ripening-dryingthrough utilization of a natural source of sun heat is effected forbananas, yielding a product having a similar consistency to the knownsunripened-dried products like raisins, prunes, dates and the like.

This process is distinguished from both: (a) the ancient and well-knownsun-ripening-drying process for fruits having edible skins such asraisins, dates, figs and so forth; and (b) the more general and recentdehydration processes.

The disclosed process differs from the former in that although the pulpof the fruit is exposed, fermentation and hardening are prevented. Thisinvention differs from the latter in that the fruit need not bereconstituted or restored to its initial state before it is eaten.

Finally, this process by its nature results in increased nutritivevalue, pound for pound of the processed fruit as compared with the freshor uncured fruit.

Brief description of drawings FIG. 1 is a schematic of the initial phaseof the process showing rotary positioning;

FIGURE 1A is an enlarged schematic of a section of FIGURE 1.

FIG. 2 is a schematic of the same process at completion.

The process In its preferred form, the process involves first peelingthe fruit at the beginning of its ripening stage, in the case ofbananas, or washing it. Secondly, the peeled or washed fruit is placedin spaced relation to similar fruits, to facilitate circulation of freeair, on wooden boards or planks and covered by corresponding boards orplanks which are opposed. Where necessary, due to climatic conditions,the fruit is preliminarily exposed to sulphur fumes or sprayed withsolutions of sor-bic acid to prevent the growth of mold occurring on thesurface of the fruit. Banana fruit which has just turned ripe, that isto say, on either the first or second day following its turning yellowfrom unripened green, is the fruit, when peeled, that is used in thisprocess.

By gravitational action of the uppermost of the corresponding board-s orplanks, the fruit is slightly but continuously compressed all throughthe period of the curing process. In the meantime, the planks or boardswill absorb the liquids coming from the heated fruit. The boards orplanks have been cured and sap removed, rendering them ideally absorbentof fruit liquids. The particular boards or planks which are used tocover the product are capable of absorbing substantially all thenecessary liquids which are to be removed from the product and/orevaporating the absorbed liquids. This moisture absorbing process isenhanced by the squeezing of the partially cured product between theboards or planks and too, a complete 180 rotation each day or at leastevery other day of the cornpress ensures a substantially even absorptionof water from one side of the product to the other. By compress is meantthe spaced superposition of two boards or planks holding the fruitbetween opposed inside faces of the boards or planks.

With respect to the particular boards used in this process, thefollowing is a satisfactory example. Pine wood is preferred, althoughvarious other woods which have likewise been cured have been used. In aspecific instance, the width of the boards is preferably of from inthickness and two ft. in length having a six inch width. Boards whichare in excess of %1" to 'As" in thickness absorb too much of the heatand boards which are of substantially less thickness than A" to A3" havea far too short a life in view of the desired cleaning that must be doneto remove the residues of the dried fruit which has adhered. It isdesired that the boards not be of excess weight and in the presentinstance, boards of approximately three pounds having the aforesaiddimensions may be sulficient to confine in a seat of opposed boards nineto ten bananas, separated from each other at least one or two inches,whereby not to press substantially on the bananas, but naturally todescend thereon as the volume of the fruit may be reduced bydehydration.

The fruit is now, while thus placed, almost completely shielded from thesuns rays, and all sides thereof exposed to the atmosphere. While thuspositioned, the fruit containing compress is exposed to the sun wherebythe heat of the sun commences the curing process for given periods ofthree to six hours per diem. It is desirable that the confining media beexposed directly, that is to say, at right angles to the position of thesun. To this end, it is within the scope of invention to cause theconfining boards or planks to be rotated continuously as the sun moves.In a normal process, exposure for three to six hours per day for acuring period of seven or eight days would suflice for the completecuring process. Naturally, the board or plank compress containing thefruits is relieved of the heat treatment as night falls, thus yieldingan 18-21 hour period of cooling in between periods of heating. In orderto expose the confined fruit to the sun heated atmosphere the two boardsconfining the ripe peeled fruit are placed on transparent roof coveredtrays, so that they may receive the heat of the sun during the number ofdays required to complete the curing process and remain meanwhileprotected from dew and rains.

The form of dehydration itself and the humidity absorbing capacity ofthe boards are essential but still not the nucleus of this invention;While heat evaporates the liquids of the confined fruits, the fruitvolume gets reduced and the fruit itself gets more and more flattenedbecause of the weight of the covering boards. These boards willprogressively contact larger and larger areas of the fruit surfaces,protecting them from the burning and hardening action of direct sun raysor hot air draughts. It is by means of this protection, equivalent tothe skins protection of fruits with edible skins, that a perfectly curedproduct is attained.

While this process has been described with reference to heat derivedfrom the sun, it will be apparent that artificially induced heat andcooling periods may be adopted without departing ,frQIl the spirit ofinvention. Likewise, various boards or planks other than preferred curedpine boards may be used and so too, differing means of applyingcompression to the fruits in the compress may be adopted within themetes and bounds of the invention as claimed. The periods of exposure tothe natural or artificial hot and cold atmospheric conditions may alsovary, as noted, without departure from the invention, as described andclaimed.

I claim:

1. A process for preserving peeled ripe fruit intact, of the genus Musa,such as bananas, by means of exposure of the ripened peeled fruit to sunheated atmosphere, including the following steps:

(a) initially confining at least one minor portion of the peeled ripefruit between opposed moisture absorbable boards wherein at least oneboard is gravitationally movable with respect to the other;

(b) periodically exposing the confined ripe peeled fruit to the heatedatmosphere created by the sun, while shielding the ripe peeled fruit bythe boards from direct rays of said sun and periodically relieving theripe peeled fruit of exposure to the sun-heated atmosphere;

(c) rotating upside down the opposed boards confining the ripe peeledfruit at least once during the exposure thereof whereby said other boardmay become gravitationally movable with respect to the first, as thevolume of the ripe peeled fruit is reduced by dehydration, theabsorbable boards will confine by contact major portions of the exteriorsurfaces of the confined ripe peeled fruit;

(d) removing the board from the riped peeled fruit to yield a fullycured soft product all tissues and cells of which are intact.

2. Process according to claim 1 in which the boards comprise a curedhighly porous wood material, the thickness of each being no greater thanthe thickness of the fruits thereof.

3. The process according to claim 2 in which the thicknesses of eachboard is less than the thickness of the respective fruits.

4. The process according to claim 1 in which the fruit is confinedsubstantially normal to the sun, the suns rays falling substantiallyperpendicularly to the confining boards or planks, and furthercomprising the step of alternately rotating the confining boards orplanks thereby insuring even moisture absorbency from the fruit andmoisture evaporation from the boards or planks.

5. The process of claim 1 in which plural fruits are confined in spacedrelation to each other for a maximum circulation of free air tounconfined portions thereof.

6. The process of claim 2 in which the respective boards or planks areof suflicient density to shield the confined portions of fruits from allrays of the sun and of sufficient porosity to insure absorbency of theliquids and moisture of the fruit.

7. The process according to claim 1 including an initial step, followingpeeling and cleaning, of exposing the product to sulphuric atmosphere inthe prevention of mold formation.

8. The process according to claim 1 in which the respective periods ofexposure and relief are in the approximate ratio of one to five.

9. The process according to claim 8 in which the period of exposurecomprises between 3 and 6 hours and the period of relief comprisesbetween 18 and 21 hours, and in which the total process cycle involvesfrom 6 to 8 days.

10. The process according to claim 8 in which the total process cycleinvolves from 6 to 8 days.

11. A process for preserving peeled ripe fruits intact of the genusMusa, such as bananas, by means of natural exposure to the atmospherecreated by the sun, comprising the following steps:

(a) initially confining one or more ripe peeled fruits between twoopposed moisture absorbable boards,

both said boards being movable so that they may be will confine bycontact major portions of the exterior periodically rotated upside downwith the ripe peeled surfaces of the confined ripe peeled fruit;

fruits confined between; (d) and removing the ripe peeled fruit orfruits from (b) eXposing the confined ripe peeled fruit or fruits to theboards at the end of the days required for comthe atmosphere created bythe heat of the sun by 5 pleting the drying process, to yield a fullycured soft placing the two boards confining the ripe peeled fruitproduct all tissues and cells of which are intact.

on transparent roof covered trays, so that they may receive the heat ofthe sun during the number of References Cited days required to completethe curing process and UNITED STATES PATENTS remain meanwhile protectedfrom dew and rains; I 0 A (c) rotating upside down each set of bothboards with 2? et the confined ripe peeled fruit or fruits between one2,481,723 9/1949 CO6 99 2O4 or more times during the curing period inorder to assure that sun heat will be approximately equivalent by bothsides; as the volume of the ripe peeled fruit LOUIS MONACELL PrimaryExamine" is reduced by dehydration, the absorbable boards S. DAVIS,Assistant Examiner.

